Re: Michael/Janus - No. 5
There was indeed something off about Michael, something that didn't quite fit. He seemed blissfully unaware of it - his old worries were all about the monsters they'd fought and those who had died in the fight. Whatever his strangeness was, it was nothing to do with that.
There was only a moment to ask his question. Then the birds were on them, almost before Janis could finish noticing that they were coming, but he never even had the chance to throw his body out of the way. Janis hit him hard and knocked him sideways, shoving him out of the path of the winged, flying nightmares that flowed into the ground with the graceless syncopation of a nightmare, undulating and squealing. "Jesus -" not that saying so was going to get him anywhere, and there was an explosion of light and hellfire that sparked a sympathetic reaction.
What was it? It disappeared almost as fast as it showed itself, a halo of wavering light, cream white as bone, covering him like a shell. It warded off the heat and the screech of hellfire, then dissipated, fast as mist.
He rolled up to his feet, his side covered in mud from where he'd fallen, dazed. The birds had disappeared into the ground, but he wasn't taking any goddamn chances. "Let's get the hell out of here," he said, hoarsely, offering her a hand to pull her up. "Come on."